Wednesday, December 28, 2011

52 at First Glance

Here are my first thoughts about DC's new titles after just looking at the title/cover, artist, and writer. Although I have actually read a few of the comics (Suicide Squad 1-4, Justice League 1-4, Justice League International 1, Aquaman 1, Wonder Woman 1, Flash 1, and Captain Atom 1), I'll try to remember what I was expecting when I first encountered the title and crew.

I'll do these four or five in a post.

1. Justice League
Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Jim Lee
Inks: Scott Williams (I might get some of the pencillers and inkers mixed up since I'm only looking at the inside flap of The New 52 Trade with all the #1s. I'm just assuming they list penciller first and inker second).

I might have picked this up, at least for a few issues, if I was being discriminating about my comic book picks. I find it interesting to have a team with all the heavy hitters just to see what kind of challenging situations they get them into. How can anything go wrong when you've got Superman and Flash together? Both of these guys seem like the kind of hero that only villains with something to prove as well as daddy issues go up against. And of course, Green Lantern backing them up with anything he can think of, Wonder Woman in a battle frenzy and Batman looking on grimly, they can't lose! I'm not sure why they stuck Cyborg on this team.

I think I'll miss Martian Manhunter being on the team (I see him over there in Stormwatch). He always brought some heart and vulnerability to the group. They just don't seem like a family without him.

As for the cover, I'd just like to say: Nice placement on Green Lantern's Gun. And what are they all exploding out of? (Since I already read the first few, I'm gonna guess a Boom Cube!) Only Cyborg looks happy.

I have high expectations for this one. Didn't Jurgens do JLE? (I guess I could spend the same amount of time as it took to write this to just Google that answer) It's basically the same squad from the 80s minus Blue Beetle who I think died? He died, right? At the hands of Maxwell Lord, maybe?

I don't recognize the artists. As I get further into these comics, most of my posts will be 'I don't recognize the writer/penciller/inker.'

The cover is another big splash page with all the heroes coming out of some hole at the center of the page. They all look slightly miffed except for Godiva. Ugh. Godiva.

3. Aquaman
Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Ivan Reis
Inks: Joe Prado

Not a huge fan of Aquaman. I sort of pretended to be into him during his four issue fifteen minutes of not being a douchebag fame back in the eighties but mainly because everyone had a copy of that mini-series. I don't even remember if I read it.

I also didn't care when he ran around with long hair and a beard and lost his hand.

The cover looks like Aquaman is angry at the reader and trying to stab him. Which very well could be what they were going for since everyone knows Aquaman is a joke. You know, I'm even slightly embarrassed saying that because everybody knows it so well already! I feel like I should be hip and cool and write some giant paper about how everyone is wrong and Aquaman is a true hero and worthy of his own title instead of a guy who plays with fish. Yeah, yeah! He's super strong and resilient on land due to living in the ocean depths or something. I think a great first issue would be Aquaman coming up to the surface and he explodes due to his internal pressure pressing outward against his skin.

4. Wonder Woman
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Cliff Chiang

Except for learning new things about my changing body while watching Linda Carter on television, I never really got anything out of Wonder Woman. But I also never really tried. Sometimes I'd pick up an issue and glance through if she was fighting an interesting villain. But I never bought the comic.

So now Brian Azzarello is writing it and I'm excited. Should that have ended in an exclamation point since I was excited? Maybe I'm too tired to be that excited. I'm looking forward to seeing what Azzarello does with the Amazon. As long as Wonder Woman doesn't find an attache case in the first issue.

I've never heard of Cliff Chiang. But remember! I've been away from comics, for the most part, for about 8 years. So a lot of artists and writers will be new to me.

The cover shows, scientifically, how Wonder Woman can block every single bullet or arrow or cream pie thrown at her.